The right outside linebacker in the Chiefs’ vaunted linebacking triumvirate that included Pro Football Hall of Farmers Willie Lanier and Bobby Bell, Lynch was a player whose presence was so sturdy and reliable it allowed others around him to be better. Hall of Fame cornerback Emmitt Thomas credited Lynch’s heady play and superior run-support skills with aiding his own success. An All-American and captain for Notre Dame’s 1966 national champions, Lynch was starting by his second season, 1968, when he earned a berth in the AFL All-Star game. In the 1969 AFL Championship game the Raiders decided to try to go after Lynch and lived to regret it. Running mostly to Lynch’s side, Oakland was held to less than three yards per attempt as Kansas City won 17-7, to earn a trip to Super Bowl IV. “I think Jim Lynch is probably one of the most consistently outstanding football players that we’ve had here,” said coach Hank Stram. “He plays the same way every week, and you just can’t realize how very important that is.”